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AN 


OEATIOIT 

DELIVERED   BEFORE   THE 

ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION, 

OF   THE 

COLLEGE     OF 

PHYSICIANS  AND  SUEGEONS, 

MEDICAL     DEPARTMENT    OF    COLUMBIA    COLLEGE,    NEW    YORK, 

AT  THE 

SPRING  COMMENCEMENT,  MARCH  U,  1861. 


BY  THOS.  W.  BLATCHFORD,  A.  M.,  M.  D. 


TROY,     N  .     Y . : 

PRINTED    BY    A.    W.    SCRIUNKU    .1    CO.,    CANNON    PLACK. 

1  S  C,  1  . 


?^^- 


^/' 


^/ 


CORRESPONDENCE 


Thos.  W.  Blatciu'Ord,  M.  D., 

Sir: — In  compliance  with  a  resolution  of  the 
Ahimni  Association  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Medi- 
cal Department  of  Columbia  College,  unanimously  adopted  at  their 
Annual  Meeting,  held  in  the  City  of  New  York,  on  the  15th  inst.,  I 
beg  leave  to  request  for  publication,  a  copy  of  your  address,  delivered 
before  the  Alumni,  on  the  occasion  of  their  third  anniversary. 

I  need  hardly  presume  to  think  that  you  will  refuse  to  comply  with 
their  request,  when  I  consider,  how  imperfectly  the  limit  of  the  allotted 
time,  enabled  you  to  give  expression  to  your  interesting  discourse, 
the  publication  of  which  would  preserve  in  an  enduring  form  the 
characteristics  of  some  whose  names  are  associated  with  the  early 
history  of  the  College. 

Accept,  Dear  Doctor,  the  assurance  of  my  esteem,  and  believe 
me  to  be, 

Yours  Truly, 

JOSEPH  H.  VEDDER,  M.  D.,  Sec't. 
FLrsHiSG,  near  New  York,  March  20,   1861. 


Joseph  IT.  Yedeer,  M.  D.,  Sec'y,  &c., 

Dear  Sir : — Yours  of  the  20th  is  received.  Having 
acknowledged  myself  the  humble  servant  of  the  Alumni  in  consent- 
ing to  prepare  an  address,  when  the  request  foi'  its  publication  is  con- 
veyed in  terms  so  flattering,  I  cannot  refuse  it.  I  herewith  place  a 
copy  at  your  disposal.  " 

Your  friend, 

THOS.  W.  BLATCHFORD. 
Trot,  25th  March,  1801. 


OFFICERS 


ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION, 


FOR  THE  YEAR  1861-62. 


President— HEO'^AS  W.  BLATCHFORD,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Troy,  N.  Y. 
Vice  President— RICHARD  S.  KISS  AM,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  New  York. 
Secretary— J OSEFR  H.  TEDDER,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,     .     Flushing,  L.  I. 

TVeaswj-er— HENRY  B.  SANDS,  M.  D., New  York. 

Councilors. 
ISAAC  M.  CAMPBELL,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,     ....     Charleston,  S.  C. 

JOHN  TORREY,  M.  D.,  LL.  D., New  York. 

JOSEPH  MAURAN,  A.  M.,  M.  D., Providence,  R.  I. 

BENJAMIN'  OGDEN,  M.  D., New  Y&rk. 

JAMES  T.  WESTERVELT,  M.  D., Staten  Island. 

A.  T.  WILLIAMS,  M.  D., Bloomingdale. 

OLIVER  BRONSON,  A.  M.,  M.  D., New  York. 

CHARLES  S.  TRIPLER,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,      .     .      United  States  Army. 

ALFRED  C.  POST,   A.  M.,  M.  D., New  York. 

JOHN  MILLER,  M.  D., 

JACOB  HARSEN,  A.  M.,  M.  D., 

JAMES  M.  SMITH,  M.  D., " 

MIDDLETON  GOLDSMITH,  M.  D., Louisville,  Ky. 

GEORGE  C.  BLACKMAN,  M.  D., Cincinnati,   0. 

RICHARD  M.  COOLIDGE,  M.  D.,  .  .  .  United  States  Army. 
JOHN  L.  LeCONTE,    A.  M.,   M.  D.,     .     .     .     .     Philadelphia,  Pa. 

JAMES  COOPER,  M.  D., Washington,  D.  C. 

JOHN  J.  MILHAU,  M.  D., United  States  Army. 

*EZRA  JAMES  FOUNT A.IN,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,     .     .     Davenport,  Iowa. 

GEORGE  H.  TUCKER,  M.  D., New  York. 

Orator— B.  TILDEN  BROWN,  M.  D.,  Bloomingdale  Lunatic  Asylum. 
Alternate— 'V^^  C.  ROBERTS,  M.  D., New  York. 


►Died  April,  1S6I. 


ADDEESS. 


Gentlemen  Alumni  : — 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  greet  you  here 
this  evening.  Though  a  stranger  to  most  of 
you,  I  feel  my  heart  beating  in  unison  with 
yours,  while  we  are  here  contemplating  the 
onward  progress  of  this  venerable  Institution. 
She  loses  nothing  in  comparison  with  any  in  that 
galaxy  of  Medical  Colleges  which  now  dot  the 
face  of  our  widely  extended  country.  Though 
not  the  collegiate  pioneer  in  teaching  Medical 
Science  in  this  country,  her  predecessors  were, 
very  few.  The  high  standard  of  Medical  Edu- 
cation she  at  first  assumed  as  essential  in  those 
who  were  to  become  the  guardians  of  the  j^ublic 
health,  she  never  has  lowered. 

For  one — and  do  I  not  speak  the  sentiments 
of  all  on  whom  she  has  conferred  her  honors  1 
— for  one  I  have  always  felt  an  honest  pride  in 
being  able  to  say,  I  graduated  at  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York. 
During  her  incipient  struggles  for  an  honorable 


existence,  it  is  true  she  encountered  many  severe 
trials.  There  was  not  that  concert  of  action 
and  good  feeling  between  the  teaching  and  tlie 
governing  powers  which  was  desirable.  How 
much  more  good  she  might  have  accomplished 
had  there  always  existed  the  same  amicable 
understanding  between  these  two  bodies  as 
now,  no  one  can  tell.  The  Medical  Faculty 
however  never  had  but  one  end  in  view,  they 
determined  to  keep  their  standard  as  high  as 
public  sentiment  would  sanction. 

Long,  long  years  have  passed  since  he  who 
addresses  you  sat  as  a  humble  learner  here. 
Most  of  those,  then  his  associates,  have  already 
passed  away.  The  ranks  of  the  teachers  too, 
as  well  as  of  the  taught,  have  been  thinned  out  by 
that  lynx-eyed  executioner  Death,  and  of  those 
few  of  us  who  remain  it  will  soon  be  said,  we 
too  are  gone.  This  evening  many  beloved 
companions  are  missing  wdth  whom  I  here 
associated — Bliss,  Hodgers,  Wagner,  DePuy, 
Ives,  Helme,  Beck,  Scudder,  Gunn,  Sullivan. 
These  shared  with  me  the  pleasant  hours  of 
pupilage,  but  they  are  not  here  now,  they  have 
been  summoned  hence.  Their  memories  how- 
ever are  embalmed  on  many  a  heart  beside  my 
own.     I  cannot  think  of  them  on  an  occasion 


like  the  ju'cscut  witliuiit  cliildish  ouiotioii.  Sul)- 
sequent  attachments  may  be  strong,  but  the 
fibres  of  early  friendships  penetrate  the  center 
of  the  soul — the  very  bottom  of  the  heart ;  and 
then  early  friends  how  few  !  when  three  score 
years  are  passed.  Moore  understood  these 
chords  of  undying  friendship  when  he  wrote  : 

"  Long,  long  be  my  lioavt  with  such  memories  fitl'd  ! 
Like  the  vase  in  which  roses  have  once  been  distill'd — 
You  may  break,  you  may  ruin  the  vase  if  you  will, 
But  the  scent  of  the  roses  will  hang  'round  it  still." 

The  subject  I  have  selected  for  my  theme  on 
this  interesting-  occasion  is  Oar  Alma  Mater  in 
her  Infancy.  I  can  speak  of  her  incipient  exer- 
tions with  the  more  correctness,  because  I  was 
then  among  the  youthful  witnesses  interested 
in  her  welfare  and,  with  my  companions,  as 
usual  with  young  men,  stood  ready  to  contend 
earnestly  for  her  rights.  It  is  well  known  too, 
that  early  impressions  of  passing  events  gener- 
ally retain  tlieir  vividness  with  a  tenacious 
grasp.  As  we  advance  in  life,  all  later  scenes 
may  be  obliterated  from  the  memory,  or  remem- 
bered only  with  a  mere  glimmer  of  realit}'. 
The  individuals,  the  building,  and  the  surround- 
ings, connected  w  ith  her  early  liistory  have  with 


me  almost  the  freshness  of  scenes  just  passed. 
They  are  but  as  yesterday  a  httle  dimmed. 

It  is  no  part  of  my  present  purpose  however 
to  entertain  you  with  a  history  of  this  College. 
You  have  already  listened  to  that  when  my 
old  friend  and  office  associate  Dr.  Delafield 
addressed  you  so  eloquently  on  the  occasion  of 
the  opening  of  the  new  building  in  1856.  I 
regret  that  his  address  did  not  receive  a  more 
permanent  and  aj^propriate  existence  than  that 
afforded  by  the  pages  of  a  periodical  perpetua- 
ting but  a  portion  of  it.  It  deserved  a  place  in 
the  library  of  every  graduate  at  least — and  I 
hope  that  even  yet  the  Doctor  may  be  induced 
to  place  the  Alumni,  and  the  profession  gener- 
ally, under  further  obligations  by  re-printing 
it,  enlarged  and  amended  as  his  thorough 
acquaintance  with  the  subject  would  enable 
him  to  do.  The  late  changes  entered  into  with 
Columbia  College  would  almost  seem  to  require 
it. 

When,  fifty  years  ago  save  one,  I  came  to 
this  city  to  study  medicine,  I  was  directed  to 
the  "New  Institution,"  and  there  I  attended  my 
first  course  of  medical  lectures  with  Romeyne, 
and  Seaman,  and  Cock,  and  Griscom,  and  Bruce, 
as  instructors.     The  next   year  I  matriculated 


in  this  College.  Before  this,  a  building  in 
Barclay  Street  had  been  procured,  and  rooms 
commodious  enough  for  a  beginning  were  fitted 
up  for  a  class  of  about  70  students.  There  was 
at  that  time,  certainly,  nothing  either  attractive 
or  imposing  in  the  outward  appearance  of  "our 
Alma  Mater."  Convenience  and  economy 
alone  seemed  to  guide  those  whose  duty  it  was 
to  select  the  place,  and  arrange  the  few  apart- 
ments needed.  At  that  time  the  population  of 
the  city  amounted  to  less  than  90,000.  Our 
country  was  every  where  depressed,  and  all  her 
business  interests  prostrated.  We  were  assert- 
ing our  national  rights  and  contending  for  them 
in  a  protracted  war  with  England.  Almost 
every  avenue  to  prosperity  seemed  blocked  up, 
but  none  more  effectually  than  our  commerce, 
and  no  other  interest  could  so  sensibly  affect 
this  city.  The  shipping  for  the  most  part, 
except  coasters  and  river  craft,  lay  moored  and 
housed  in  the  slips  and  silent  ship-yards.  It 
was  a  melancholy  sight,  "  all  faces  turned  into 
paleness "  and  "  men's  hearts  failing  them  for 
fear."  There  was  one  spot,  however,  where  the 
sunlight  of  enterprise  seemed  to  shine,  and  that 
was    on    the    new  Medical  College   in   Barclay 

Street. 

2 


10 

The  faculty,  with  that  master  spirit  of  energy, 
industry,    and   indomitable   perseverance,    Dr. 
David  Hosack  as  an  impelling  power,  at  last 
sunaiounted  every  difficulty,  and  accomplished 
their  grand  design ;  and  notwithstanding  at  times 
the  prospect  looked  gloomy,  and  very  many 
were  ready  to  predict  a  failure,  they  listened  to 
nothing  but  success.    Revolutionary  patriotism 
had  then  many  a  survivor.     Their  deeds  of  self- 
denial  and  of  dauntless  daring  were  fresh  upon 
the  memory,  and  often  upon  the  tongue.    These 
Medical   Patriots  did  not  intend  to  be  outdone 
by  their  national  predecessors.     Onward  and 
upward  was  their  stirring  motto,  and  it  was  a 
thousand  times  re-echoed  by  those  possessing 
true   hearts  and  active  hands.     Inasmuch   as 
no  good  and  great  entei-prise  has  ever  proved 
successful  without  the  blessing  of  Him  on  whom 
we  are  all  dependent,  as  well  in  our  individual 
as   in    our  associated  capacity,  have  we   not 
reason  to  conclude  that  among  the  early  friends 
of  this  noble  enterprise  there  were  those  who 
sincerely  implored   that   needed  blessing.     It 
must  be  so.     Prayer  is  the  breath  of  good  men, 
and  many  such  were,  and   always  have  been, 
among  the  friends  of  this  College. 


11 

At  length  they  liad  the  satisfaction  of  finding 
their  efforts  so  completely  crowned  with  success 
that  they  were  compelled  to  enlarge  the  bound- 
aries of  their  habitation.  The  ])uilding  was 
reconstructed,  new  rooms  were  added,  improve- 
ments introduced  and  greater  facilities  afforded 
for  a  more  extended  course  of  medical  training. 

A  full  half  century  has  rolled  arOund,  and 
where  is  our  Alma  Mater  now  1  not  in  Barclay 
street,  no,  no.  The  merchant  princes  have 
obtained  possession  there.  The  hall  of  science 
is  exchanged  for  the  mart  of  merchandize.  The 
library  and  dissecting  room,  for  the  ledger  and 
the  counting  room,  and  the  professors  chairs  are 
displaced  by  the  tables  of  the  money  changers. 
How  is  this  1  What  has  brought  about  this 
mighty  change  1  Some  powerful  controlling 
influence  must  have  been  set  in  motion  to  pro- 
duce such  a  result.  Let  us  examine  and  see 
what  it  is. 

The  desolating  war,  of  which  mention  has 
been  made,  was  succeeded  by  an  honorable 
peace.  Confidence  between  nations  and  indi- 
viduals was  restored,  and  once  more  prosperity 
floated  on  every  breeze.  The  spirit  of  com- 
merce like  a  mighty  monarch  began  to  speak 
only  to  be  obeyed,  and  addressing,  as  it  were. 


12 

the  lower  wards  of  the  city,  which  soon  became 
densely  peopled,  issued  his  mandates  to  all 
alike, — families,  churches,  literary  institutions,  all 
and  each  "  give  place  and  find  other  localities, 
commerce  demands  your  room."  Our  Alma 
Mater  with  other  institutions  was  at  last  com- 
pelled to  obey  and  seek  another  resting  place. 
She  found  it  in  Crosby  street  in  1830,  but  in 
1856  she  again  pelded  to  the  upward  current, 
and  established  herself  in  Twenty-fourth  street. 
The  spot  where  the  noble  structure  now  rears 
its  walls  was,  but  a  short  time  since,  a  verdant 
meadow.  The  city  itself,  instead  of  numbering 
her  inhabitants  only  by  thousands,  counts  them 
now  by  hundreds  of  thousands.  Instead  of 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  being 
the  only  Medical  College  in  the  State,  she  is 
but  one  of  many,  and  might  perhaps  claim  to 
be  the  mother  of  them  all.  Instead  of  a  solitary 
Hospital  half  constructed,  and  one  Alms  House, 
and  one  Dispensary,  we  can  count  these  noble 
institutions,  these  schools  of  practical  medicine, 
by  the  score.*     Every    thing   how    changed ! 

*  From  a  late  number  of  the  "  World." 

Medical  Charities  in  Xew  York. — No  City  in  the 
world  is  more  muiiiticent  in  its  medical  charities  than  New 
York,  and  this  winter,  all  their  capacities  are  tested  to  the 
utmost.     There  are  three  principal  classes  of  these  charities — 


13 

How  unlike  our  Alma  Mater  when  she  com- 
menced her  career  of  usefulness  and  honor! 

the  dispensaries,  cliniqnes,  and  hospitals.  The  cliniquo  in 
New  York  is  a  somewhat  different  affair  from  what  it  is  in 
Paris :  there  it  apphes  only  to  hospital  practice  before  the 
medical  students ;  but  in  New  York,  the  clinique  is  simply 
a  sort  of  improvised  hospital,  or  rather  consultation  room,  in 
the  amphitheatres  of  the  medical  colleges,  Avhere  the  profess- 
ors furnish  gratuitous  medical  advice  and  treatment  to  any 
one  suffering  from  any  of  the  twenty-five  hundred  maladies 
which  flesh  is  heir  to,  who  are  not  ill  enough  to  be  admitted 
to  the  hospital,  and  too  poor  to  employ  a  physician.  Here 
the  most  renowned  physicians  and  surgeons  in  the  City,  daily 
give  their  services  freely  to  the  poor,  and  often  perform  even 
the  most  formidable  operations.  Over  ten  thousand  persons 
thus  received  relief  during  the  past  year  in  the  three  great 
schools  of  the   I\Ietropolis. 

At  the  five  City  Dispensaries^  medical  and  surgical  service 
was  afforded  gratuitously  last  year  to  1.35,235  persons — to 
whom  251,593  prescriptions  (including  the  medicine)  were 
also  freely  furnished.  And,  besides  these,  the  homa'opathic 
and  other  dispensaries  have  afforded  relief  to  thousands. 
Tlie  Hospitals  annually  furnish  relief  to  over  fifty  tliousand 
persons  suffering  under  every  form  and  combination  of  dis- 
ease, and,  at  the  present  time,  they  are  nearly  all  unusually 
crowded.  Bellevue,  the  largest  charity  hospital  in  the  world, 
has  over  a  thousand  patients  within  its  walls ;  indeed,  so  full 
is  it,  that  the  most  pressing  necessity  exists  for  the  speedy 
completion  of  the  new  charity  hospital  on  Blackwell's  Island. 
This,  we  understand,  will  be  open  in  about  a  month,  and  will 
furnish  much  needed  additional  accommodations. 

The  admirable  classification  of  these  hospitals  also  adds 
infinitel}^  to  their  value,  both  to  the  patient  and  the  medical 
student,  as  diseases  of  every  kind  can  thus  be  treated  and 
studied  inexhaustibly.  Thus,  Blackwell's  Island  Hospital 
constantly  furnishes  to  the  student  about  two  hundred  patients, 
ofljotli  sexes,  suffering  under  every  form  of  syphillis;  the  State 
Emigrant's  Hospital,  about  seven  hundred  cases  of  accouche- 
ment annually  ;  Randall's  Island  and  the  Child's  Hospital 
exhibit  the  various  infantile  diseases ;  in  the  Ophthalmic 
Hospital,  and  the  Eye  Infirmary,  over  four  thousand  persons 
are  treated  annually,  for  diseases  of  the  visual  organs  ;  while 
the    surgical   cases  at   the   Broadway  Hospital,  the   chronic 


14 

How  unlike  herself  and  her  suiTOundings  when 
she  first  announced  her  independent  existence  ! 

To  whom  are  we  indebted  for  what  she  was, 
and  for  what  she  now  is  1  In  memory  let  us 
revisit  the  old  lecture  rooms,  and  see  who  occu- 
pied the  professorial  chairs,  who  toiled,  and 
planned,  and  labored,  and  executed,at  that  early 
day.  We  may  be  able  thus  to  ascertain,  at 
least  in  part,  to  wdiom  we  are  this  day  indebted 
for  this  noble  enterj)rise — to  whom  we,  and 
generations  yet  to  come,  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude 
never  to  be  paid,  only  because  it  never  can  be 
cancelled. 

In  this  revisit  to  our  old  preceptors,  to  describe 
their  appearance,  how  they  performed  their 
parts,  and  whether  they  gave  promise  of  being 

cases  at  Bellevue,  and  the  European  diseases  at  Ward's 
Island,  literally  cover  the  whole  field  of  pathology. 

And  yet,  notwithstanding  all  this  immense  machinery  for 
the  relief  of  suffering,  instead  of  a  surplus  of  gratuitous  medi- 
cal relief,  there  are  still  large  arrears  of  available  charitable 
efforts  in  this  very  direction,  not  yet  turned  to  account. 
Hundreds  annually  die  without  any  medical  treatment  what- 
ever, whose  lives  might  be  saved  thereby.  There  can  be  no 
more  beneficent  mode  of  alleviating  human  suffering  than  by 
contributing  to  the  support  of  these  hospitals. 

One  of  the  good  things  done  by  the  Commissioners  of 
Charities  and  Corrections,  was  to  throw  open  freely  to  medical 
students,  Bellevue  and  the  other  institutions  under  their 
charge.  The  fee  system  is  now  entirely  abolished,  and  the 
large  numbers  Avho  flock  to  Bellevue  on  Wednesdays  and 
Saturdays  (operating  days),  show  that  the  privilege  thus  ac- 
corded, is  fuUv  appreciated  bv  the  medical  students  of  New 
York. 


15 

equal  to  the  task  they  had  undertaken,  we  must 
not  forget  to  render  a  due  meed  of  praise  to 
their  successors  in  office.  Had  they  not  been 
worthy  recipients  of  the  mantles  of  their  prede- 
cessors, we  should  not  be  here  assembled  on  this 
joyous  occasion. 

My  Diploma  bears  the  sign  manual  of  nine 
worthy  names.  With  your  permission  I  will 
refer  to  each  in  the  order  there  assumed,  with  no 
other  expectation  than  that  of  making  a  rough 
sketch  of  their  lecture  7-oom  characters  as,  almost 
half  a  century  since,  they  appeared  to  one  of 
their  grateful  pupils.  My  attempt  will  be  made 
without  any  pretension  to  artistic  merit : — 

Samuel  Bard,  M.  D.,  L.  L.  D.,  the  first  Presi- 
dent of  the  College,  was  a  gentleman  literally 
of  the  Old  School.  He  was  highly  respected, 
— almost  venerated — by  a  large  circle  of  influ- 
ential friends.  Very  advanced  in  years — short 
of  stature,  and  thin  in  person,  stooping  consider- 
ably as  he  walked.  He  had  a  small  head,  large 
mouth,  bright  eye,  very  dark  complexion,  and 
his  features  were  much  wrinkled  by  age.  His  ap- 
pearance was  by  no  means  prepossessing,  and 
his  delivei'y  any  thing  but  ^^leasing,  except  when 
arrayed  in  cocked-hat  and  flowing  robe,  in 
dignified   Latin    he    delivered    parchments   to 


16 

waiting-  aspirants.  I  heard  liim  deliver  two  or 
thi-ee  addresses  to  graduating  classes,  and,  not- 
withstanding the  absence  of  oratorical  embel- 
lishments, they  were  listened  to  by  a  popular 
assembly  with  profound  attention.  Dr.  Bard's 
professional  attainments,  moral  worth,  and  social 
position  were  of  the  first  order.  His  philan- 
thropy was  proverbial. 

A  circumstance  occuiTed  at  the  distribution 
of  diplomas,  I  think  in  1814,  which  was  the 
cause  of  momentary  merriment  in  the  whole 
assembly.  A  colored  servant  always  waited 
upon  the  Doctor  in  his  official  visits  to  the 
College  as  his  valet,  bearing  his  insignia  of  office 
— the  black  silk  gown  and  the  cocked  hat. 
Charley  had  on  several  occasions  witnessed  the 
imposing  ceremony  of  conferring  degrees,  and 
had  often  assisted  his  venerable  master  in  robing 
himself  to  discharge  his  high  official  duties. 
The  Doctor  always  took  off  his  hat  as  he  com- 
menced the  Latin  phrase,  "  Ex  auctoritate  Uni- 
versitatis  ReipuUicce  Novi  Ehoraci,''  Charley 
always  supposed  the  Latin  used  was  merely 
the  name  of  the  cocked-hat.  It  so  happened 
on  this  occasion  that  the  hat  was  missing,  and 
could  no  where  be  found.  The  time  for  the 
ceremonv  had   arrived,  and  the  Doctor,  unable 


17 

longer  to  wjiit,  commenced  ''  ex  (lucfori/d/a  IJni- 
versitatis,  c'Jr.,"  when  the  ever  faithful  servant, 
jealous  of  his  master's  honor,  having  by  diligent 
search  found  the  missing  article,  approached  his 
master  in  almost  breathless  haste,  unconscious 
of  the  august  assembly  present,  exclaiming, 
"  Massa  !  Massa  !  here  is  your  exotorUaffyr 

Benjamin  DeWitt,  M.  D.,  adjunct  professor 
of  Natural  Philosophy,  was  a  line  looking  gen- 
tleman, of  a  tall,  portly,  commanding  figure, 
open  countenance,  affable  manners,  pleasing 
address,  and  very  ready  delivery ;  a  popular 
lecturer,  and  a  great  favorite  with  the  students ; 
especially  with  those  who  took  an  interest  in 
Natural  Philosophy.  Dr.  DeWitt  was  an  early 
and  a  warm  friend  of  the  College.  His  social 
position  added  to  his  j)ersonal  influence,  and 
his  scientific  acquirements,  made  him  an  impor- 
tant member  of  the  Faculty,  while  he  was  Vice 
President  of  the  College.  Being  the  brother 
of  the  then  Surveyor  General,  and  himself 
possessing  at  Albany  more  than  an  ordinary 
share  of  political  influence,  he  was  of  great  ser- 
vice in  procuring  the  necessary  legal  enactments 
required  by  the  College.  Dr.  DeWitt  was 
noted  for  giving  handsome  entertainments. 
3 


18 

In  1819,  the  last  year  of  his  official  life,  as 
Health  Officer  of  the  port,  he  gave  one  of  the 
most  magnificent  entertainments  at  his  resi- 
dence on  Staten  Island,  which  had  ever  been 
given  there,  or  even  in  the  State  itself.  Inside 
the  mansion  not  only,  but  upon  the  surround- 
ing grounds,  preparations  for  it  were  observed 
long  in  advance,  and  when  at  length  the  even- 
ing came.  Nature  itself  seemed  propitious  to 
the  splendor  of  the  scene — calm,  cool,  cloudless, 
the  very  pride  of  June  with  her  balmy,  fragrant 
atmosphere.  Taste  and  refinement  were  visible 
on  every  side.  Tables  were  loaded  with  every 
delicacy  to  tempt  the  appetite  and  exhilarate  the- 
spirits  of  the  invited  throng,  while  music,  in 
delightful  profusion,  lent  her  charms  to  heighten 
enjoyment. 

By  a  happy  coincidence,  the  nuptials  of  a 
daughter  of  his  near  neighbor,  the  Vice  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  occurred  on  the 
same  delightful  evening,  and  this  circumstance 
brought  to  each  of  these  splendid  social  gather- 
ings— these  fetes  champetres — many  of  the  elite 
of  the  City  and  the  State,  including  the  dignita- 
ries of  the  Bench,  and  the  distinguished  of  the 
Bar  and  the  Pulpit,  together  with  many  of  the 
brotherhood  of  the  healing  art.    There,  too,  were 


19 

many  members  of  the  National,  State,  and  City 
Governments,  together  with  several  honored 
foreign  Officials.  The  magnificence  of  the 
scene  almost  bewildered  those  who  witnessed  it. 
But  Providence — inscrutable  to  man — was 
preparing-  a  terrible  contrast  to  this  gorgeous 
spectacle.  The  Yellow  Fever  suddenly  made 
its  appearance.  Its  fatal  results,  multiplying  in 
rapid  succession,  produced  universal  consterna- 
tion and  dread,  crushing  out  natural  affection 
itself.  Soon,  before  the  mansion  of  the  Health 
Officer,  stood  the  hearse,  the  coffin,  and  the  pall ; 
for  after  an  illness  less  than  ephemeral,  the  noble 
manly  form  of  him,  who  but  so  recently  had 
made  multitudes  happy,  was  now  dressed  for  the 
grave.  The  gay  and  joyous  crowd  had  all 
retired.  No  music  was  now  heard,  but,  in  its 
place,  the  wail  of  distress.  Four  faithful  boat- 
men, and  twelve  courageous  physicians,  with 
the  youthful  son  of  the  departed,  constituted 
the  funeral  train.  No  minister  of  relig-ion  was 
there  to  improve  the  occasion,  or  comfort  the 
mourner ;  but  a  still,  small  voice,  far  more  im- 
pressive than  man's,  read  a  salutary  lesson  on 
the  world's  vanity,  and  man's  frailty. 

"  Sic  transit  Muria  imiiuli.' 


20 

David  Hosack,  M.  J).,  L.  L.  D.,  Professor  ol 
Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine,  and  Lecturer 
on  Obstetrics  and  the  Diseases  of  Women  and 
Children,  seemed  the  master  spirit   of  the  Col- 
lege.    In  personal  appearance,  Dr.  Hosack  was 
but  little  above  the  ordinary  size,  a  little  inclined 
to  corpulency  ;~quick  motion,  dark  complexion, 
a  piercing  black  eye,  black  hair,  and  very  heavy 
black  eye  brows  capable  of  assuming  a  wither- 
ing frown ; — a  loud,  clear,  sonorous  voice,  with 
a  very  distinct  articulation,  his   delivery  was 
emphatic,  and  at   times  truly  eloquent.     The 
impression  conveyed  to  his  hearers  was,  that 
no  assertion  he  made  was  to  be  doubted,  no 
opinion  he  advanced  could   be    controverted. 
He  always  seemed  thoroughly  to  understand 
his  subject,  and  appeared  familiar  with  the  whole 
ranofe  of  Medical  Science.     He  was  extremelv 
sarcastic   toward    any   opposing   his    theories. 
He  was  a  good   linguist  and  a  ripe  scholar ; 
was  very  fond  of  making  Greek   and   Latin 
quotations    from    ancient  Medical    Authors. — 
Sometimes  he    gave   the    translation,  but   not 
always,    remarking,    "  Gentlemen,    I    will    not 
offend   you  by  translating   it.     I   take  it  for 
granted  you   all  understand  the  languages,  at 
least,  if  you  do  not,  you  ought  to." 


21 

Himself  a  graduate  of  the  Edinburo-h  Scliool, 
when  that  was  the  model  Medical  School  of  the 
world,  Dr.  Hosack  was  desirous  of  placing 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  on  an 
equally  exalted  footing,  especially  as  to  prelim- 
inaiy  education  in  her  matriculants.  He  was 
a  strenuous  advocate  for  at  least  an  elementary 
knowledge  of  Latin  and  Greek  before  com- 
mencing the  study  of  Medicine.  In  point  of 
energy,  perseverance,  and  industry,  few  were 
his  equals,  and  none  his  superior.  In  his  inter- 
course with  the  Students  he  could  be  pleasant 
and  affable  and  even  jocose,  and,  when  he  chose, 
imperious,  overbearing,  and  repulsive  in  the 
extreme.  He  was  a  favorite  with  those  students 
who  embraced  his  peculiar  views ;  and  most  did, 
for  all  of  us  looked  upon  Dr.  Hosack  as  final 
authority  in  medical  matters — a  judge  from 
whose  decision  appeal  was  hopeless.  He  was 
more  in  the  habit  of  interspersing  his  lectures 
with  anecdote  than  any  of  the  faculty,  many  of 
these  anecdotes  seemed  entirely  impromptu, 
but  others  appeared  familiar  by  repetition.  He 
was  not  always  particular  as  to  the  character  of 
the  anecdote.  If  it  illustrated  the  suliject,  he 
did  not  suppress  it  from  any  want  of  delicacy 
associated   with  it.     Indeed,  we  used  to  think 


22 

he  selected  such  from  principle,  thinking  they 
would  make  the  deeper  impression.  The  Doctor 
was  very  fond  of  a  double  entendre,  and  em- 
ployed it  even  when  its  propriety  was  a  little 
doubtful.  Tardy  attendance  and  listless  hearers 
he  could  not  endure ;  and  he  had  different  ways 
of  correctino^  such  irreg-ularities.  His  most 
common  method  was,  to  make  an  abrupt  pause 
in  his  lecture,  fasten  his  large  black  eyes, 
with  that  thunder-cloud  frown  gathered  on  his 
brow,  upon  the  poor  recusant,  and  keep 
them  there  until  he  found  his  seat,  when  the 
Doctor  resumed  his  lecture.  He  was  a  thorough 
disciplinarian  and  always  maintained  the  strict- 
est order  in  the  class.  Instantly  fixing  his 
withering  look  in  the  direction  of  any  disturb- 
ance, almost  as  quickly  suppressed  it.  Few  who 
suffered  reproof  exposed  themselves  to  it  a 
second  time.  The  punishment  was  terrible,  and 
yet  all  loved  him,  and  none  more  than  those 
whom  he  reproved.  He  was  very  punctual  in 
his  appointments,  beginning  precisely  at  the 
hour.  It  was  extremely  rare  that  he  ever 
failed  to  lecture,  and  he  seldom  kept  the  class 
waiting  a  moment.  This  was  the  more  remark- 
able, considering  his  extensive  professional 
engagements. 


28 

Dr.  Ilosack  was  an  excellent  J^otanist,  and 
he  occasionally  treated  his  class  to  a  short 
lecture  on  Botany,  although  it  trenched  upon 
the  province  of  his  colleague  Dr.  Mitchell. 
Dr.  Mitchell's  class  was  small,  and  he  became 
quite  sensitive  from  reports  which  reached  him, 
of  what  he  considered  Dr.  Hosack's  interference, 
and  determined  to  see  for  himself  Accordingly 
during  one  of  those  botanical  digressions,  who 
should  enter  the  lecture  room,  stately  and  slow, 
but  the  Professor  of  Botany  himself  This  was 
a  visitor  equally  unexpected  and  unwelcome. 
It  was  the  first,  and  I  believe  the  only  time  I 
ever  saw  Dr.  Hosack  non-plused.  His  con- 
fusion, however,  was  but  momentary.  Self- 
possession  quickly  rallied.  As  Dr.  Mitchell 
entered  the  room,  he  bowed  most  gracefully  to 
the  chair.  Dr.  Hosack  arose,  and,  after  a  mo- 
mentary hesitation  delivered,  himself  something 
after  this  wise  :  "  Good  morning.  Dr.  Mitchell 
— I  am  very  happy  to  see  you — I  was  just  im- 
pressing upon  my  class  the  importance  of 
attending  to  Botany,  and  recommending  them, 
by  all  means,  to  pay  special  attention  to  your 
lectures,  assuring  them  that  they  would  be 
amply  repaid,  and,  although  it  is  not  in  my 
power  to  do  the    justice  to  the  subject  which 


24 

you  cau,  I  thouglit  I  would  give  them  some 
little  idea  of  the  importance  a  knowledge  of 
Botany  would  be  to  them  in  after  life."  Both 
professors  took  seats,  but  the  lecture  was  soon 
concluded. 

William  J.  McNevix,  M.  D.,  Professor  of 
Chemistry  and  Materia  Medica,  was  a  gentle- 
man rather  below  the  ordinary  size,  very  good 
looking,  of  quick  movement,  a  sharp,  piercing 
eye,  and  a  very  intelligent  countenance.  His 
voice  was  not  full,  but  his  enunciation  was  clear 
and  distinct,  and  his  delivery  rapid,  not  at  all 
injured  by  a  slight  lisp  and  foreign  accent. 
His  language  was  refined  and  scholarly,  having 
frequent  reference  to  classic  literature,  with 
familiar  illustrations  drawn  from  common  life, 
and  occasionally  interlarded  by  anecdote.  Dr. 
McNevin  was  a  good  chemist,  but  not  a  skillful 
manipulator.  His  disposition  was  impulsive 
and  hasty.  He  was  easily  irritated.  He  was 
no  disciplinarian.  He  did  not  seem  to  have 
the  faculty  of  controlling  young  men.  Whis- 
pering and  inattention  in  the  class  annoyed  him 
much,  which  he  occasionally  rebuked  with 
sharpness,  and  that  generally  made  the  matter 
worse.  At  times  he  was  playful  and  pleasant, 
but  not  very  often.     He  was  not  the  popular 


25 

lecturer  (jrriscoiii  was,  althou<>li  lie  was  a  iiiucli 
more  learned  man.  His  advantages  had  been 
far  greater.  He  was  a  graduate,  I  believe,  of 
the  Dublin  University.  He  endeavored  to 
adapt  his  lectures  to  Medical  Science,  l)y  show- 
ing the  intimate  relation  between  chemistry 
and  the  daily  routine  of  practical  medicine. 
He  loved  conviviality  and  good  cheer,  and  was 
the  life  of  the  social  circle.  He  had  hosts  of 
friends.* 

*An  old  classmate,  residing  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  has, 
at  my  request,  furnished  the  following  reminiscence  of  Dr. 
McNevin:  "  My  recollections  of  our  old  friend,  McNevin. 
are  very  pleasant.  It  may  truly  be  said  of  him  he  was  'a 
good  ftllow^  as  well  as  a  thorough  scholar.  His  solid  learn- 
ing was  well  seasoned  with  'Attic  Salt.'  He  occasionally, 
you  remember,  embellished  his  lectures  with  humorous  anec- 
dotes in  illustration  of  his  subjects.  In  his  lecture  on  Nitrate 
of  Silver^  the  use  of  which,  as  an  ingredient  in  the  hair  dyes 
now  so  popular,  was,  at  that  time,  but  little  known.  He  stated 
that  an  old  batchelor,  Avhose  head  was  wliitened  by  the  frosts 
of  fifty  winters  or  more,  called  upon  him,  saying,  'I  have 
been  told  you  are  a  Chemist  and  can  color  hair.  I  have 
concluded  it  is  time  for  me  to  think  of  matrimony,  and  I  have 
called  to  see  whether  you  can  restore  my  hair  to  its  original 
black  color,  so  as  to  rejuvenate  me,  as  I  intend  to  offer  myself 
to  a  young  lady.''  0,  yes.  What  will  you  charge  ?  Ten 
Dollars.  Very  well,  do  it.  The  thing  was  done,  the  money 
paid,  and  tlie  gallant  lover  departed  rejoicing.  In  due  time, 
and  while  his  suit  was  still  in  abeyance,  his  hair,  as  it  grew 
out,  became,  of  course,  of  a  sheep-gray.  He  again  called 
on  the  Doctor,  but  now  he  rebelled  at  the  charge.  The 
Doctor  stood  firm,  but  at  last  told  him  it  was  a  solution  of 
Nitrate  of  Silver,  and  he  might  get  it  from  any  druggist,  and 
color  his  hair  himself.  The  druggist  made  a  mistake  and  gave 
him  a  solution  o^ Nitrate  of  Quicksilver.  On  applying  it  to  his 
hair,  he  found  it  changed  it  to  a  yellow.   In  this  predicament  he 


26 

Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  M.  1).,  L.  L.  D.,  &c., 
&c.,  Professor  of  Botany  and  Natural  History, 
&c.,  was  a  portly  gentleman,  erect  and  stately  in 
his  gait,  walking  very  deliberately.  No  matter 
who  else  was  in  a  hurry.  Dr.  Mitchell  never 


returned  to  the  Doctor  in  a  rage,  accusing  the  Doctor  of  evil 
intentions.  An  explanation,  however,  satisfied  liim  that  the 
mistake  was  in  the  druggist.  He  now  imploringly  besought 
the  Doctor's  aid.  '  Can  you  change  it  back  again  ?  '  Oh, 
yes.  '  What  will  it  cost  ? '  Twenty  dollars — ten  for  taking 
out  the  yellow,  and  ten  for  dyeing  it  black.  The  money  was 
paid,  the  change  effected,  and  the  poor  fellow  once  more 
departed  in  peace.  In  his  lecture  on  Nitrous  Oxyd  Gas,  a 
very  ludicrous  occurrence  took  place.  The  gas  had  all  been 
prepared ;  the  rationale  of  the  process  described,  and  a 
graphic  description  given  of  the  effects  produced  upon  those 
who  inhale  it,  varying  according  to  the  temperament  of  the  mdi- 
vidual,  giving  expression  to  every  variety  of  emotion.  When 
about  to  administer  it  to  those  of  the  class  who  were  inclined 
to  take  it — and  many  did — his  assistant  informed  him,  in  a  low 
voice,  that,  through  an  accident,  the  gas  had  all  escaped.  In 
this  emergency,  the  Doctor's  acumen  and  versatihty  at  once 
suggested  a  way  to  turn  even  this  unfortunate  mishap  to  good 
account.  The  gasometer  was  immediately  filled  with  atmos- 
pheric air,  and  upon  transferring  it  to  the  gas-bag,  for  inhala- 
tion, he  directed  all  the  young  gentlemen  who  should  inhale 
the  gas,  to  write  out,  in  detail,  their  sensations  and  emotions 
while  under  its  influence,  and  hand  in  their  reports  to  him 
next  morning  duly  subscribed. 

At  the  next  lecture,  he  read  these  reports  before  the  class 
announcing  the  names  of  the  respective  writers.  They  were 
quite  characteristic  of  the  usual  effects  of  Nitrous  Oxyd  on 
different  temperaments.  At  the  conclusion,  he  stated  the  fact 
of  the  escape  of  the  gas,  and  the  substitution  of  atmospheric 
air,  and  consequently  that  all  the  glowing  and  vivid  descrip- 
tions of  the  young  gentlemen  were  purely  imaginary.  This 
denouement  was  followed  by  the  most  uproarious  demonstra- 
tions of  the  class,  to  the  great  mortification  of  the  gentlemen 
who  were  the  dupes  of  the  experiment."  A.  D.  S. 


27 

was.  His  manners  w^cro  remarkably  easy. 
He  felt  perfectly  at  home  and  at  his  ease  in 
any  circle,  and  under  all  circumstances,  except, 
perhaps,  when  he  had  reason  to  apprehend  per- 
sonal danger  from  pestilential  effluvia ;  for  he 
was  a  rational  contagionist,  and  was  unwilling 
to  encounter  such  an  enemy.  He  had  small, 
light  eyes,  a  large  head,  an  aquiline  nose  some- 
what prominent.  In  walking,  his  head  was 
thrown  a  little  back,  and  his  chin  quite  eleva- 
ted, and  with  his  rolling  collar,  and  deeply, 
ruffled  shirt,  his  appearance  was  such  as  to 
attract  universal  attention. 

Dr.  Mitchell  was  literally  a  walking  library. 
He  was  never  known  to  be  at  a  loss  for  an  an- 
swer to  any  question,  especially  in  natural 
history.  He  seemed  perfectly  familiar  with 
every  branch  of  Science,  and  was  exceedingly 
communicative  and  companionable.  It  was 
often  said  his  memory  was  so  retentive,  that  he 
never  forgot  what  he  had  once  read.  He  was 
vain  to  a  fault,  and  apparently  proud  of  his 
attainments.  Only  flatter  his  vanity,  and  no 
favor,  in  his  power  to  grant,  would  be  denied. 

Besides  his  scientific  acquirements,  he  was  a 
politician,  representing  this  District  in  Congress. 
He  often  addressed  pul)li('  assemblies  on  politi- 


28 

cal  subjects.     He  seemed  at  lionie  on  almost 
any  occasion,  and  apparently  required  but  little 
time  for  preparation,   and  this,   whether  in  the 
halls  of  Science  or  on  the  floor  of  Congress, 
whether  eulogizing  departed  greatness  or  ha- 
ranguing political  gatherings.     He  was  listened 
to  with  attention,  and  yet  he  was  not  a  pleas- 
ing  speaker.     His  delivery  was  slow,  and  at 
times  hesitating.     His  voice  was  quite  feminine, 
but  his  articulation  distinct ;  his  language  was 
correct,    and  occasionally    eloquent.     Notwith- 
standing these  few  defects,  Dr.  Mitchell  held  a 
deservedly  high  rank  as  a  lecturer.     He  was 
full  of  anecdote  and  always  in  fine  spirits,  and 
on  public  occasions,  this  was  one  great  attrac- 
tion.    He  never  sufi'ered  his  audience  to  sleep 
or  become  weary ;  they  always  expected  some- 
thing lively,  and  they  were  seldom  disappoint- 
ed.    He  was  fond  of  society,  parade,  and  dis- 
play, and  yet  he  was  a  man  of  great  influence 
in   the   world  of  letters,  abroad  as  well  as  at 
home.  Few  Americans  were  honored  with  more 
titles  of  distinction  than  Dr.  Mitchell,  and  very 
few  appreciated  them  higher.     All  who  knew 
him  will  remember  the  pride  he  took  in  dis- 
playing the  ring  he  received  from  the  Emperor 
Alexander,    of    Kussia,    as    exjiressive    of   the 


29 

respect  that  distiiij^uislied  sovereign  entertained 
for  him. 

He  occasionally  g-ave  handsome  entertain- 
ments, at  his  residence,  to  his  medical  friends 
and  others,  to  whit;h  some  of  the  more  ad- 
vanced students  were  occasionally  invited. 

At  one  of  these  entertainments,  a  group  of 
gentlemen  gathered  around  him,  all  anxious  to 
draw  out  the  rich  treasures  of  his  well  stored 
mind.  At  first,  it  came  only  in  responses  to 
isolated  questions,  but  as  he  saw  his  guests 
become  more  and  more  interested,  he  let  it  gush 
in  torrents.  He  spoke  of  his  multifarious  en- 
gagements, professional,  political,  and  scientific,-- 
of  his  course  in  Congress, — of  the  War  then  in 
progress  (1814,)  and  several  other  subjects. 
Some  one  expressed  astonishment  at  his  ability 
to  give  attention  to  so  many  pursuits,  and  of 
such  varied  character.  "  Ah,"  said  he,  "  there 
is  no  difficulty  if  you  only  have  order  and 
method  in  your  business.  Only  see  that  you 
have  a  place  for  every  thing,  and  then  keep 
every  thing  in  its  appropriate  place.  Why, 
gentlemen,  the  falciform  process  of  the  dura 
mater  that  separates  the  two  hemispheres  of  the 
brain,  was  designed  expressly  for  this  very 
purpose,  so  that  we  may  appropriate   one  to 


30 

Science,  and   the  other  to — to — to  pohtics  if 
you  please." 

In  Barclay  Street,  as  the  older  graduates  will 
remember,  the  cabinet  of  Natural  History  oc- 
cupied tlu*ee  sides  of  the  lecture  room.  Once, 
during  the  lecture  of  Dr.  Hosack,  Dr.  Mitchell 
had  occasion  to  go  to  the  cabinet  for  some 
specimen  he  needed  to  illustrate  his  own  lec- 
ture. His  presence,  of  course,  diverted  the 
attention  of  the  class,  although  he  endeavored 
to  accomplish  his  eiTand  as  quietly  as  possible. 
Dr.  Hosack  stopped  short,  and  addressing  Dr. 
Mitchell,  in  a  loud  voice,  said,  "  Dr.  Mitchell,  I 
am  engaged."  Dr.  Mitchell,  bowing  gracefully 
to  the  chair,  replied,  very  deliberately,  "  So  am 
I,  sir."  Dr.  Hosack  immediately  dismissed  his 
class,  saying  he  felt  himself  insulted. 

Wright  Post,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Anatomy 
and  Surgery,  was  a  character  entirely  different 
from  any  I  have  yet  refeiTed  to.  He  was  tall, 
thin,  pale,  of  feeble  aspect,  of  a  very  measured 
step,  and  cautious  movement.  His  features 
were  small  throughout,  eyes, — nose,  mouth  and 
head,  but  the  combined  expression  was  very 
commanding,  calm,  pleasant,  affable,  insj^iring, 
at  once,  veneration  and  confidence.  On  en- 
tering- the  lecture  room,  no  matter  how  much 


31 

noise  and  bustle  had  lilled  the  room,  all  was 
instantly  hashed,  almost  to  stillness  of  death. 
After  taking"  his  jDOsition  before  the  "  Subject " 
he  always  took  out  his  Agate  Snuff-box,  which 
he  received  from  a  distinguished  source  as  a 
token  of  professional  regard,  and  slowly  and 
gracefully  tapping  it  with  his  forefinger,  opened 
it  and  took  a  generous  pinch,  which  he  seemed 
greatly  to  enjoy,  and  after  carefully  wiping 
away  the  ample  wastage,  he  found  himself 
about  ready  for  his  routine  duties.  During 
these  preliminary  movements,  he  usually  sur- 
veyed the  part  of  the  "  Subject "  which  his 
demonstrator  had  prepared,  and  then,  without 
the  semblance  of  ostentation  or  display,  he  be- 
gan his  lecture.  Commencing  in  a  low  voice, 
with  slow  delivery,  it  required  the  utmost 
silence  for  him  to  be  heard.  The  most  undi- 
vided attention,  however,  was  cheerfully  given, 
so  much  did  the  class  respect  him,  and  so  un- 
willing were  they  to  lose  a  single  syllable  of 
his  lecture.  It  was  usually  several  minutes 
before  his  utterance  became  free  and  easy. 
His  voice,  however,  gradually  rose  until  he 
was  able  to  fill  the  room  tolerably  Avell,  but 
never  so  well  that  it  did  not  require,  in  the 
audience,  at  all  times,  more  than  an  ordinarv 


82 

decree  of  attention  to  hear  all  he  said.  He  was 
a  man  of  very  few  Avords,  and  in  his  lectures, 
which  were  delivered  without  any  notes  before 
him,  there  never  seemed  anything  redundant 
nor  anything  lacking.  He  never  repeated 
what  he  had  once  uttered,  there  was  no  need 
of  it,  the  impression  was  perfect  where  the  atten- 
tion had  been  given.  It  was  his  uniform  cus- 
tom, at  the  commencement  of  the  course,  to  re- 
late the  story  of  the  "  Doctor's  Mob,"  in  which 
he  and  his  associates  once  came  near  losing 
their  lives  at  the  hands  of  an  infuriated  rabble, 
excited  by  the  heartless  impudence  of  a  student 
holding  a  half  dissected  limb  out  of  the  hospi- 
tal window,  and  showing  it  to  some  boys  below, 
telling  them  it  was  the  leg  or  the  arm  of  their 
mother.  He  always  accompanied  this  story 
with  words  of  caution,  putting  students  on  their 
guard  not  unnecessarily  to  excite  the  public 
mind,  always  too  sensitive  on  such  subjects. 

Of  all  the  lecturers  to  whom  it  has  been  my 
priAalege  to  listen,  whether  in  this  country  or 
abroad,  none  has  left  impressions  of  respect 
and  veneration  so  profound  as  those  produced 
by  this  delightful  man — this  model  lecturer. 
Dr.  Post,  rarely,  if  ever,  employed  anecdote  for 
illustration.     He  never   seemed  to  need  such 


liel}).  His  laiig-uayv  was  aU\ays  chaste  aii<l  in 
good  keeping.  The  most  fastidious  could  take 
no  offence,  and  yet  every  thing  was  clearly  and 
thoroughly  explained.* 

William  Hammersly,  M.  D.,  Professor  of 
Clinical  Medicine,  was,  in  point  of  size,  much 
the  same  as  Dr.  Hosack,  but  unlike  Dr. 
Hosack,  his  movements  were  slow  and 
measured.  He  stooped  a  little  as  he  walked, 
keeping   his    eyes,  for  the  most  part,  on  the 


*A  former  student  of  Dr.  Post's,  and  still  an  honored  and 
an  active  laborer  in  the  field  of  medicine,  saj's,  in  a  recent 
letter  to  me  : — 

"I  think  it  was  in  April,  1819,  that  this  incident  occurred. 
Mrs.  D.  had  been  an  old  patient  of  Dr.  Post's ;  her  only  son 
had  studied  medicine  with  him,  and  was  highly  prized  by 
him,  and  the  only  remaining  child,  a  young  lady  aged  17 
years,  had  died  the  November  previous.  The  mother  was 
utterly  prostrated  by  her  affliction,  and  a  diminished  income 
induced  her  to  leave  her  old  home,  where  her  children  were 
born.  She  requested  me  to  mention  to  the  Doctor  that  she 
wished  to  settle  his  bill  for  medical  services,  saying  that  no 
money  could  ever  repay  him  for  his  kindness  and  attention  to 
lier  family  ;  she  wished  to  settle  the  bill  before  she  left  the  old 
home.  I  mentioned  it  to  the  Doctor,  once  or  twice,  at  her 
request.  I  will  never  forget  with  what  earnestness  he  said 
Mrs.  D.  is  a  devoted  christian,  an  example  to  christian  moth- 
ers, nothing  but  the  grace  of  God  could  have  sustaimul  her 
under  her  heavv  afflictions.  1  sincerely  sympathize  with  her. 
I  will  make  out  her  bill  immediately,  will  you  have  the  good- 
ness to  deliver  it  to  her  ?  That  evening  I  called  upon  the 
old  lady  and  presented  a  sealed  letter  to  her,  whicli  slie  open- 
ed in  my  presence,  saying  it  was  just  like  Dr.  Wright  Post, 
and  showed  me  the  contents; — tiic  bill  for  medical  services 
amoiuiting  to  $1.jO,  receipted  in  lull,  and  a  check,  pavable 
to  her  order,  for  $200. 

Yours  siucorelv,  B.  0.'' 


34 

the  gTOund,  as  if  in  profound  meditation.  He 
was  never  in  haste,  hut  always  appeared  to 
move  as  if  he  thought  there  was  still  time 
enough,  and  yet  he  was  punctual  to  his  engage- 
ments. His  instructions  showed  him  to  be  a 
thoroughly  read  physician,  and  literally  of  the 
old  school.  A  graduate  of  Edinburgh,  he  held 
the  doctrines  of  Cullen  in  high  estimation — the 
ne  plus  ultra  of  medical  tactics.  Cullen  was 
his  beau  ideal.  He  was  a  scholar  and  a  lin- 
guist ;  it  was  said  he  could  converse  as  freely 
in  Latin  as  in  English.  Dr.  Hammersly  never 
descended  to  familiarity  in  his  intercourse  with 
the  students,  but  was  dignified  to  a  degree  which 
detracted  from  his  influence.  He  never  in- 
dulged in  any  playful  remarks,  but  always  car- 
ried a  sober,  serious  face,  and  seldom  failed  to 
manifest  his  displeasure  when  he  saw  levity, 
or  even  pleasant  playfulness  in  others,  and  still 
I  am  not  aware  that  he  was  of  a  gloomy  turn 
of  mind.  Important  and  weighty  matters 
seemed  constantly  to  engage  his  attention. 

At  the  bed  side  of  the  sick,  he  was  a  model 
physician — kind,  affable,  patient,  tender,  cheer- 
ful. In  the  investigation  of  the  case  it  was  his 
duty  to  make,  while  he  was  thorough  and  dis- 
criminating, he    was    careful   to   pay  a   stnct 


35 

regard  to  the  feelings  of  the  patient.  His  lec- 
tures to  tlie  class,  if  lectures  they  could  be 
called,  were  very  short,  and  the  number,  during 
the  hour,  was  regulated  by  the  number  of 
patients  visited,  and  consisted,  for  the  most  part, 
in  simply  detailing  the  case  in  hand.  Clini- 
cal lecturing  then  was  an  entirely  different 
exercise  from  what  it  is  at  the  present  time. 
All  the  lecturing  was  done  at  the  bed  side,  and 
in  the  hearing  of  the  patient.  His  prescriptions 
were  all  given  in  Latin,  and  noted  down  by 
the  House  Physician.  He  was  scrupulously 
particular  in  the  use  of  technical  language. 

Dr.  Hammersly  was  an  instructive  lecturer, 
but  not  a  popular  one.  His  manners  were  too 
cold,  distant,  and  repulsive ;  yet  the  weight  of 
his  character  as  a  scholar,  well  acquainted  with 
medical  classics,  and  his  being  a  gentleman  of 
great  moral  worth,  added  much  to  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  College.  He  possessed  the  confi- 
dence of  many  warm,  worthy,  and  influential 
friends,  who  held  his  opinion  on  literary  sub- 
jects in  high  estimation. 

A  circumstance  occurred,  during  one  of  his 
clinical  visits  to  the  Hospital,  which  was  so 
characteristic  l)oth  of  the  man  and  of  the  times, 
that  I  am  induced  to  relate  it.     Dr.  Hammersly, 


when  lie  embraced  an  opinion,  adhered  to  it 
with  great  tenacity.  The  use  of  Digitahs  in 
Phthisis  had  been  introduced  from  England 
under  very  favorable  circumstances,  its  employ- 
ment being  advocated  l)y  high  authority.  Dr. 
Hammersly  was  among  the  first  in  this  city  to 
introduce  it  as  a  substitute  for  bleeding  in  pul- 
monary inflammation.  He  made  free  use  of  it 
Ion  a-  after  most  other  Physicians  had  abandon- 
ed  it,  except  as  an  auxiliary  to  other  curative 
means.  One  day,  as  the  class  was  following 
him  in  his  rounds,  he  came  to  a  patient  whom 
he  at  first  did  not  recognize.  He  requested 
the  House  Physician  to  inform  him  of  the  case. 
"  Phthisis,  Sir,"  was  the  reply.  "  What  is  he 
taking,  sir  ? "  said  the  Doctor.  "  Digitalis,  sir." 
The  Doctor  then  seemed  suddenly  to  recollect 
himself  and  addressed  the  class  much  after 
this  manner :  "  Oh,  yes,  I  remember  now.  How 
greatly  he  has  improved  !  Why,  my  man,  how 
much  better  you  are  !  Gentlemen,  you  here 
see  the  astonishincr-  effect  of  dio'italis.  I  wish 
you  to  take  special  notice  of  this  case.  A 
week  or  two  since,  when  we  put  this  patient  on 
the  use  of  digitalis,  he  was  in  a  very  low  con- 
dition. His  pulse,  if  you  remember,  Avas  con- 
siderably above  a  hundred,  and   every  thing 


.»( 


looked  very  uiiproinisiiio'."  At  this  sta^-e  of 
the  lecture,  the  Doctor  noticed  a  winknig  and 
smiling-  in  the  class,  and  turnin_^'  to  the  House 
Physician,  he  said,  sharply,  "  What  does  this 
mean,  sir?"  when  he  replied,  "This  is  not  the 
patient,  sir,  to  which  yovi  have  reference.  He 
died  three  days  ago,  this  is  another."  The  lec- 
ture here  ended,  and  the  class  dispersed. 

Two  other  gentlemen  signed  my  diploma. 
They  filled  respectively  the  chairs  of  Surgery 
and  Materia  Medica,  but  as  one  of  them  is  still 
living,  and  the  other  so  very  recently  deceased, 
delicacy  forbids  my  dehneating  their  characters. 
I  can  only  permit  myself  to  say  that  when, 
nearly  a  half  century  since,  they  entered  upon 
their  professorial  career,  the  expectations  they 
then  excited  have  lieen  more  than  realized. 
In  no  respect  have  they  been  inferior  to  their 
illustrious  associates.  The  name  of  Valentine 
MoTT  will  for  all  time  be  connected  with  Amer- 
ican Surgery,  and  that  of  John  W.  Fkancis 
with  American  Medical  Literature. 

Besides  the  gentlemen  who  constituted  the 
faculty  in  1816  and '17,  there  were  three  others 
who  had  previously  filled  iniportant  chairs,  and 
whose  lectures  I  attended. 


John  Augustine  Smith,  M.  D.,  adjunct  Pro- 
fessor with  Dr.  Post,  was  a  man  of  very  vigor- 
ous intellect,  extensive  acquirements,  and  great 
energy  of  character.  He  was  a  splendid  lec- 
turer, a  great  logician,  a  close  reasoner,  an 
independent  thinker,  and  a  ripe  scholar.  His 
connection  with  the  College  terminated  by  his 
accepting  a  call  to  the  Presidency  of  William 
and  Mary  College,  in  Virginia. 

John  C.  Osborn,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Obstet- 
rics and  Diseases  of  Women  and  Children,  was 
a  gentleman  of  fine  literary  taste.  He  was 
called  to  the  chair  of  Obstetrics  from  Newbern, 
in  North  Carolina,  where  he  enjoyed  an  envia- 
ble reputation,  and  a  very  lucrative  practice. 
His  lectures  were  written  with  great  care,  and 
some  of  them  were  perfectly  elegant.  Still  he 
failed  to  interest  his  class  as  much  as  it  was  ex- 
pected he  would  from  the  character  he  brought 
with  him.  He  was  very  irregular  in  his  attend- 
ance in  the  lecture  room,  frequently  coming 
late,  and  occasionally  failing  to  appear  at  all. 
This  was  attributed  mainly  to  the  nature  and 
extent  of  his  professional  engagements,  for  Dr. 
Osborn  very  soon  took  rank  among  his  com- 
peers as  a  practitioner  second  to  none. 


39 

111  tlie  delivery  of  his  lectures,  be  was  close- 
ly confined  to  his  notes,  seldom  rai sin fr  his  head 
to  look  at  his  audience,  noise  and  inattention 
never  seemed  to  disturb  him.  He  read  his  lec- 
ture in  a  low,  monotonous  voice,  more  like  a 
bashful  school  boy  repeating  his  task,  than  a 
learned  lecturer  instructing  others.  His  coun- 
tenance was  expressive  of  thought  rather  than 
of  action ;  his  person,  anything  but  commanding. 
He  w^as  of  middling  size  and  quick  step,  but 
his  health  seemed  feeble.  His  inveterate  habit 
of  taking  snuff  greatly  injured  his  naturally  low 
voice.  His  ample  snuff-box  was  always  open 
before  him,  and  but  very  few  minutes  ever 
passed  without  his  having  recourse  to  it ;  neither 
was  he  at  all  particular  to  brush  away  the  un- 
snuffed  portion  of  the  generous  pinch,  paying 
but  little  attention  to  personal  appearance. 
Dr.  Osbom  w^as  considered  a  close  student  of 
nature  and  of  books.  He  possessed  a  remark- 
ably retentive  memory,  and  could  recite  poetry 
by  the  hour.  He  died  in  1818  in  the  West 
Indies. 

James  S.  Stringham,  M.  D.,  Professor  of 
Forensic  Medicine,  was  a  highly  educated  gen- 
tleman, possessing  talents  and  acquirements 
well  adapted  to  the  position  assigned  him.     If 


40 

my  impressions  are  correct,  Dr.  Stringliam  was 
the  first,  in  this  country,  to  teach  Medical  Juris- 
prudence as  a  distinct  branch  of  Medical  Edu- 
cation. He  made  his  lectures  exceedingly 
interesting.  They  were  attended  l)y  others 
than  Medical  Students,  Legal  gentlemen,  and 
young  men  contemplating  the  study  of  Law, 
and  some  divinity  students,  were  among  his 
constant  hearers.  He  possessed  the  esinit  dii 
corps  to  a  great  degree  ;  and  this,  together  with 
his  clear,  terse  style,  and  easy  address,  made 
his  lectures  very  acceptable  to  a  popular  audi- 
ence. His  health,  however,  was  feeble,  and  he 
spoke  in  a  low,  but  very  distinct,  tone  of  voice. 
He  had  a  mild,  pleasant  countenance  ;  intelli- 
gent, bright  eye  ;  pale  features.  He  was  kind 
and  affable  in  his  manners,  and  very  friendly 
with  the  students  generally.  None  could  know 
him  without  feelinor  an  attachment  to  him,  and 
a  sincere  respect  for  his  talents.  Though  not 
very  small,  he  was  below  the  ordinary  stand- 
ard in  height.  His  career,  however,  was  short. 
He  died  of  consumption,  at  an  early  age,  in 
the  West  Indies,  whither  he  had  repaired  for 
his  health. 

Students  have,  from  time  immemorial,  exer- 
cised the  privilege  of  canvassing  the  characters 


41 

of  tlieir  teachers.  The  opportunities  of  ob- 
servation being  abundant,  and  the  restraints  to 
Hbery  of  expression  but  few,  the  lecture  room 
sketches  thus  drawn,  though  perhaps  not  always 
strictly  correct,  are,  for  the  most  part,  acknowl- 
edged to  be  striking  likenesses.  I  have  thus 
attempted  to  portray  the  lecture  room  charac- 
ters of  those  who  laid  the  foundation  of  the 
institution  whose  fifty-fourth  anniversary  we 
this  evening  celebrate, — men  of  gigantic  powers 
all,  though  all  of  different  and  dissimilar  tem- 
peraments— no  two  alike,  and  some  the  anti- 
podes of  others,  and  yet  all  bent  on  one  great 
and  glorious  end,  that  of  establishing,  in  this 
city,  an  institution  where  sound,  enlightened, 
medical  science  should  be  taught.  Fixing  the 
standard  high  at  the  commencement,  and  rais- 
ing it  higher  and  higher  as  the  advancement  of 
science  demanded,  they  determined  always  and 
ever  that  no  similar  institution  should  out-strip 
it  in  the  appliances  afforded  for  that  which  the 
civilized  world  demands — a  thorough  medical 

EDUCATION. 

Let  it  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that  what- 
ever facilities  for  medical  education  any  insti- 
tution may  possess,  there  is  something  behind 
all   that,   namely,  a  pre-professional   training, 
6 


42 

which  is  essential  to  make  our  noble  profession 
what  it  should  be.  Could  a  classical  education 
or  a  polytechnic  training,  or  even  both,  be 
insisted  on  in  all  our  Medical  Colleges  before 
matriculation  should  be  allowed,  medical  gradu- 
ates might  then  claim  a  standing,  in  the  world 
of  letters  at  least,  equal  to  that  of  graduates  in 
Divinity  or  Law. 

How  well  the  founders  of  our  Alma  Mater 
have  succeeded  in  that  which  they  undertook, 
let  the  multitudes  tell  who  have  been  benefited 
by  those  she  has  graduated,  scattered  as  they 
are  and  have  been  in  every  part  of  the  world. 
Her  diploma  is  every  where  respected,  and  it 
always  will  be,  while  she  insists  on  her  present 
requirements,  and  refuses  to  lower  them  one 
jot  or  tittle.  Let  those  who  want  cheap  lec- 
tures and  easy  graduation  trials  knock  at  other 
doors,  when  such  apply  for  admission  here  let 
them  read  (if  read  they  can)  over  the  doorway 
this  sentence,  engraved  in  indelible  letters  of 
living  light,  Superficials  not  graduated  here. 

Young  Gentlemen  of  the  graduating  class : — 
You  have  just  completed  your  medical  pupil- 
age, and  are  about  to  commence  the  Study  of 
Practice,  for  practice  properly  pursued  is  a 
serious    study   still.      Allow   me,   my  young 


43 

friends,  to  tender  to  you  the  congratulations  of 
your  brethren,  and  cordially  welcome  you  to 
our  ranks.  After  a  laborious  preparation  you 
have  been  adjudged  worthy  to  receive  the 
honors  of  our  Alma  Mater.  The  Degree  just 
conferred  upon  you  entitles  you  to  an  honora- 
ble standing  in  the  great  Medical  Brotherhood. 
That  Brotherhood  in  its  national  associated 
capacity  has  given  to  a  continent  a  Code  of 
Medical  Ethics.  The  continent  applauds  and 
accepts  the  boon,  and  each  and  every  honora- 
ble medical  association  in  the  land  has  adoj^ted 
it  as  its  rule  of  action.  Its  basis  is  the  Bihle 
Golden  Rule  of  doing  to  others  as  you  would 
that  others  should  do  to  you.  In  addition  to 
the  most  excellent  advice  you  have  already 
received,  permit  me  to  recommend  to  you  the 
study  of  this  code,  (I  would  that  it  were  printed 
on  the  back  of  every  Diploma,)  Study  it  care- 
fully, and  in  all  your  professional  duties,  prac- 
tice it  faithfully,  and  I  will  guarantee  that  every 
where,  and  always,  you  will  be  welcomed  by 
the  warm  sym^^athies  and  generous  hearts  of 
your  medical  brethren. 

You  are  commencing  your  professional 
voyage  furnished  with  honorable  credentials 
and  clean  bills  of  lading,  and  we  hope  never  to 


44 

hear  that  5^ou  are  saUing-  under  false  colors — 
nay,  we  shall  be  unwilling  to  believe  that  yon 
can  thus  dishonor  your  Alma  Mater,  or  thus 
disgrace  your  brotherhood  and  yourselves. 

Friends  and  Associates,  thanking  you  for  the 
honor  conferred  by  selecting  me  to  address  you 
on  this  occasion — and  still  more  for  the  patience 
you  have  manifested  in  listening  to  me  so  long, 
I  bid  you  all  an  affectionate  farewell. 


B61 


lex 


